Leading in Change
The Weather is changing
The way we eat is changing
The way we learn is changing
The way we look at employment is changing
The way we get entertained is changing
The way we buy is changing
The way we socialize is changing
The way we travel is changing
The way we live is changing
The way we lead must change.
The other day I had a great 90-minute Skype conversation with Bill Drayton, the Founder of Ashoka. While we had a lot to discuss, our focus always came back to the imperative of Changemaking that we all have.
No longer do we live in a world whose productivity and momentum is defined by rules-based imperatives. Change is the dominant gene. And as leaders, as citizens of the world, all of us have to embrace the idea that Changemaking is a skill that we must all master. We are faced with it every day and yet we talk about "Change Management" and "coping with change". Change is the dominant stream of how we operate, how we live.
And so it goes without saying that the leaders of tomorrow (of today!) need to see change as an imperative, not as a factor to be dealt with. We need to understand that the skills to be Changemakers need to be invested in early, to be valued as we raise and educate our children, as we hire our organizations, as we develop our people.
Chnage by its nature is imposed on us by outside influences, people. The ability to foresee, model, embrace and leverage change has a lot to do with empathy. In a rules based world, we learn and then we repeat for desired effect. In a changemaker world, we are more aware of the influences around us and we adjust, recreate. Rules become obsolete at breakneck speeds. (cash to checks to credit cards to paypal to bitcoin)
Empathy comes from the willingness, awareness and the ability to see through the experiences of others, to take into consideration the experiences of others and to adjust ourselves accordingly. Without this awareness, we cannot lead in a world of change
The way we eat is changing
The way we learn is changing
The way we look at employment is changing
The way we get entertained is changing
The way we buy is changing
The way we socialize is changing
The way we travel is changing
The way we live is changing
The way we lead must change.
The other day I had a great 90-minute Skype conversation with Bill Drayton, the Founder of Ashoka. While we had a lot to discuss, our focus always came back to the imperative of Changemaking that we all have.
No longer do we live in a world whose productivity and momentum is defined by rules-based imperatives. Change is the dominant gene. And as leaders, as citizens of the world, all of us have to embrace the idea that Changemaking is a skill that we must all master. We are faced with it every day and yet we talk about "Change Management" and "coping with change". Change is the dominant stream of how we operate, how we live.
And so it goes without saying that the leaders of tomorrow (of today!) need to see change as an imperative, not as a factor to be dealt with. We need to understand that the skills to be Changemakers need to be invested in early, to be valued as we raise and educate our children, as we hire our organizations, as we develop our people.
Chnage by its nature is imposed on us by outside influences, people. The ability to foresee, model, embrace and leverage change has a lot to do with empathy. In a rules based world, we learn and then we repeat for desired effect. In a changemaker world, we are more aware of the influences around us and we adjust, recreate. Rules become obsolete at breakneck speeds. (cash to checks to credit cards to paypal to bitcoin)
Empathy comes from the willingness, awareness and the ability to see through the experiences of others, to take into consideration the experiences of others and to adjust ourselves accordingly. Without this awareness, we cannot lead in a world of change
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